HUNTING: Non-residents pull from resident quota

Lifetime hunting license certificates are available to all Idaho residents. These certificates authorize all privileges associated with a corresponding annual license regardless of you moving out of Idaho after purchasing it and becoming a non-resident. Most hunters are aware of lifetime license availability. What they may not know is non-resident lifetime license holders purchase tags at non-resident prices, but those purchases pull from the resident quota.  

This may not seem like a big deal to many; however, if an Idaho resident is purchasing an elk tag in a capped zone, tags can sell out and be unavailable for that resident and a non-resident lifetime license holder could be part of the reason for this unavailability. Non-resident lifetime license holders should not be purchasing tags meant for Idaho residents, even if they were once an Idaho resident. This is fundamentally wrong. As an example, in the Dworshak zone, B tags purchased by non-resident lifetime license holders is a relatively small number averaging 9 tags per year over the last 5 years, but if you are the Idaho resident looking to purchase a Dworshak zone B tag only to be turned away, that number of tags is 9 too many.   

If you agree this is wrong, contact IDFG to ask them to address this. While you’re at it, contact your state senator and representatives who can no doubt get this changed faster than can IDFG.   

NANCY LEHMAN 

Lewiston